Call No Man Father

In Matthew 23:9 it clearly says "Call no man Father" .Aren't we violating this command of Jesus by calling our priests Father so and so?

Making a conclusion and taking action based on a single line of scripture verse is very risky at best. It can be misleading or even dangerous. Even a well-meaning person can inadvertently interpret a verse incorrectly. That is why it is important to interpret every verse of scripture in the context of the entirety of the Bible, and not just in isolation.  Doing so could lead one to very wrong conclusions.

 This verse is commonly used against the Catholic custom of calling our priests father.  As a matter of fact, I have a neighbor who unfortunately left the Church over this verse. A close examination of the passage shows that not calling priests "Father" is not what this passage is about at all. Here is that verse with the pertinent verses around it"

Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

If we were too take this passage literally, we could not call anyone teacher (everyone calls their school instructor "teacher" (even the most anti-Catholic protestants refer to their instructors as "teacher") or Rabbi.  We could not refer to our male parent as "Father."  We could not refer to someone who is at the top of their craft a "master" craftsman.

But that is not what this passage is about. Jesus is criticizing the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees. They teach the faith yet they fail to practice it. They enjoy the spotlight and are very much full of themselves, their status, and their positions. . They enhance the outward appearances of their religion (for example by praying loudly in public) to make sure that they are noticed.

Note what Jesus says in verses 6 and 7 which immediately precede the rejection of the titles of honor: "And they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the Synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi." The Scribes and Pharisees have essentially put themselves in God's place. True religion always puts God at the top. Jesus didn’t reject titles but to the way they were used by the Scribes and Pharisees.

And if using the word "Father" for other than God the Father is forbidden, then we have a problem with the New Testament.  There are 144 occasions in the New Testament when the title of father is used for someone other than God. It is applied to the patriarchs of Israel, the fathers of families, and to Jewish and Christian leaders. (Call no Man Father, This Rock January 1991).

Elsewhere in the New Testament, Saint Paul calls himself the father of the Corinthians. "I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel" (1 Corinthians 4:14-15).

The Old Testament also becomes problematic. The Ten Commandments tell us to: "Honor your father and mother" (Exodus 20:12). I think it is pretty obvious that the father spoken of here is not God the Father but your male parent.

We call our priests father because they perform the role of spiritual fathers. Just as our biological fathers guide us in temporal matters our spiritual fathers guide us in spiritual matters.  We hope that this helps.

May God Bless you this day and every day of your life.